


Human Comforts

by nopal



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, fluff?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-15
Updated: 2015-01-15
Packaged: 2018-03-07 17:31:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3177684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nopal/pseuds/nopal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pearl wonders about the new objects Rose keeps bringing to their house. Meanwhile Rose is eager to introduce Pearl to these newfound wonders.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Human Comforts

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this and posted it to my tumblr 5 months ago, lord I am too scared to reread it. These are the notes I wrote when I originally posted it:
> 
> This is actually my very first fanfic. T^T I was thinking about the crystal gems and how Steven is always introducing them to human customs, and maybe how they were like before Steven. Aliens/robots learning to live with humans is my fav so I tried my best to capture the sensation of everything being new. If the language seems kind of weird it’s because i was trying to express how the crystal gems distance themselves from humanity. Any advice or critiques would be greatly appreciated. Writing is really new to me.

It wasn’t always like Rose to be this exuberant about silly things.

Pearl was sitting at a simple wood table placed off to the side, away from the gem platform and the crystal doorway. She sat there staring off through the window, running her finger along the wood grain of the old table.

The human house built under the great stone goddess was mostly empty. This house didn’t matter to them. The Gems had no need for human amenities, they had their own sanctuaries they could access freely through the crystal doorway. But lately Rose had been sneaking in a few human-y things, sometimes asking her friend Greg to help carry them. Though honestly she didn’t need his help, she was much, much stronger than Greg.

Rose was so strong, so stoic in battle, yet she rarely raised her blade. She was amazing at solving conflict without violence. Her power and beauty made her a rather intimidating leader and Pearl looked up to her immensely. She felt privileged to just be in her presence. Not only that, she, Amethyst and Garnet got to experience Rose when her guard was down. So gentle yet bursting with life, you could even describe her as bubbly at times. Rose was really something else.

"Oh Pearl, you’re here! fantastic!" 

Startled, Pearl whipped her head around to see Rose walking though the front door. 

"Isn’t that table great? Greg thought that I should get a different one, something newer or ‘better’ he said. Oh but just look at it" Rose walked up to the table and placed her hand flat onto the surface "What could be better than this? It must have been scrubbed and washed thousands of times! Think of all the people who’ve sat here, eaten here…" Rose gently moved her hand along the cracks of the table going over the same spot Pearl had touched.

"Rose, what’s in that bag you brought?" Pearl asked, looking at the white paper bag Rose was carrying. Was it another human thing pearl thought to herself glancing at the small smattering of objects Rose brought into the house.

"That’s right. Pearl, I’m so excited, I tried this when I was out with Greg and you were the first person I thought of! I just had to share it with you so I had Greg show me how to make it." Rose reached into the bag and pulled out a small brown package, followed by a a metal kettle. "It’s called tea, Pearl. People dry leaves and herbs and even flowers and then cook them in hot water and drink it!" Rose clutched the little satchel to her chest, it was obvious how excited she was.

"Humans do this… why?"

"Oh Pearl, that best part! They don’t even NEED a reason why! They’re all so different. Some people drink it first thing in the morning, others drink it in the afternoon with friends, and then there’s people who just drink it for comfort".

"What could possibly be comforting about ingesting hot liquid?" Pearl tried not to sound condescending, but it could be real challenge for her.

"Just wait Pearl, I know you’re going to love this" Rose picked up the kettle and walked over to the part of the house called the kitchen. "Now what did Greg say… put water in the kettle and then put it on the stove…" Placing the packet of tea on the counter, Rose headed for the sink. With a big CLANG the kettle hit the faucet. "Ahh.. I can never remember how this works…" Rose muttered as she yanked on the faucet.

Pearl shook her head slightly as she sat up and joined Rose in the kitchen. With her own hand she guided Rose’s to the sink’s handle and twisted. 

"Pearl you’re so good at remembering this stuff" Rose turned off the water and moved to the kettle to the beat up electric stove "and how does this one work again?" She smiled.

They both stood in the kitchen, watching the kettle. As the heating coil turned red, water drops on the outside of the kettle sizzled. Rose hummed as they waited.

"How do we know when it’s ready" Pearl asked.

"It makes a horrible noise, OH! Like that!" delighted, Rose removed the screeching kettle off the heat. She reached into a pile of human things she brought into the house, mostly mismatched plates, to grab a mug and a spoon. "Aww, that’s right, this cup has kittens on it" she showed it to Pearl’s bemused face. With the spoon she scooped a small amount of tea from the packet into the mug and poured in the boiling water. "Now we wait just a few minutes" Carrying the mug, Rose ushered Pearl back to the table.

"Okay Pearl, try it".

As pearl picked up the mug her curiosity got the best of her. “How convenient” the words slipped right out of mouth with a smile. “When you hold the mug by the handle you don’t feel the heat at all,” Pearl passed the mug between her hands lightly “but holding the warm cup itself is nice too”. She then raised the mug to her mouth, the steam tickling her nose as she pressed the brim against her lips. 

Drinking the hot liquid was such a strange sensation. It felt like the heat went straight down her body. The flavor was delicately bitter with a faint floral undertone. Instantly she was transported to her favorite cherry tree, the sensation of sitting in the grass, the light ocean breeze blowing blossoms through the air. Pearl put the mug down. She wasn’t outside, she was looking at Rose, who was grinning at her, elbows on the table and hands on her cheeks.

"I knew you’d like it Pearl. They make all kinds of tea too, from all over the earth. There’s even some made with roses! Actual roses, how wonderful is that, Pearl?"

Pearl’s grin was covered by the mug as she drank more. “I was wrong Rose, this is comforting. It’s like being embraced from the inside. Let’s do this again. We can try the tea made with flowers”.

"Greg told me he’d find me some. He’s always introducing me to new things, Pearl. It’s incredible everything we’ve been missing. We’ve spent hundreds of years protecting the people of this planet, but only now have I really made an effort to learn about them. To interact with them, to share the same experiences. I feel like I am bursting, Pearl. I feel more alive than ever, I feel more dedicated than ever".

"It’s made me think, why don’t Gems interact more with the humans? I think… this is really important." Rose looked down at her hands "This is going to change everything. And the Gems need to change, Pearl".

Just like that Rose turned sombre. Pearl didn’t understand what was going on in Rose’s mind, Maybe she never will. What Pearl did know what that Rose was always striving, dedicated to fight for a better future. And Pearl would always look up to her and be by her side.


End file.
